Countin' on a Miracle
by alannaoftrebond1919
Summary: When John Winchester went to Hell, they held a meeting in Heaven.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural**

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When John Winchester went to Hell, they held a meeting in Heaven.

Of course, his death had always been part of the plan. No one intervened when the demon hit the Winchesters' vehicle and no one intervened when John made the deal to save his son's life. Just like no one intervened when Azazel visited the Witshire farm in 1973 or when Mary Winchester was roasted on the ceiling. Some things just had to happen.

After all, it was more likely that Dean would make a similar deal if he felt he was already living on borrowed time. John's death gave Sam more impetus to hunt and more opportunities to develop his latent powers. As an added bonus, John Winchester's memory could be used to persuade his eldest son to accept Michael and rid the world of the very evil that had targeted his family since childhood. Yes, John Winchester was much more valuable dead than alive.

But, when John Winchester went to Hell, they held a meeting in Heaven. Because the first seal would be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in Hell, and John Winchester was a righteous man.

There had been little debate on that. Of course, there was the negligence, the drinking, the petty crimes, the issues with his marriage, but on the whole, those were small blemishes. John Winchester was a man of conviction and his mission had been honorable. He had rescued 969 souls, a tally that far outstripped the innocent lives he had failed to save. And there was no doubt that John Winchester had loved his family. No, John Winchester _was_ righteous, and if he broke, the Apocalypse would begin.

And so when John Winchester went to Hell, they held a meeting in Heaven. For two millennia, it had been Sam and Dean Winchester- they would be the vessels who would meet on the chosen field. They would be the ones to bring about paradise on Earth. John Winchester was important, oh, he was very important, but he wasn't the Michael Sword.

At least that was what the Traditionalist faction said. Raphael even argued that when John Winchester broke they should do nothing. After all, the notion that "the righteous man to begin it was the only one who could end it" was commentary, not scripture. Metatron was no longer around to answer questions, but it was widely accepted that God himself had never uttered those words.

If John Winchester shed blood in Hell, then the seals could be broken. Heaven could recruit Dean Winchester long before he ever made a deal himself. Michael would be ready to meet Lucifer as soon as the cage was broken, as soon as his vessel said yes.

But the Reconstructionist faction saw it differently. Ezekiel said that commentary was sacred. After all, any decision the Host made was commentary at this point. Every vision they sent to their prophet, every event the Fates engineered- none of it had been foretold by God, yet it was all divine. Therefore, the righteous man who began the Apocalypse was the only one who could end it. Michael's vessel must be the first Righteous Man to shed blood in Hell. If John Winchester broke before Dean had the opportunity, it would be John Winchester who would have to be rescued, John Winchester who would have to serve as a receptacle for Michael.

And the vessel would be an imperfect fit. Not a bad fit, not even a mediocre one, in fact, it would possibly be the greatest meat suit that Michael had ever possessed. But the vessel wouldn't be the Michael Sword. It wouldn't be the perfect weapon. To allow John Winchester to shed blood in Hell would mean to allow their general to be handicapped in a fight that would decide the future of the universe. These wore not acceptable odds.

John Winchester, Ezekiel argued, must be rescued immediately. He must be rescued before he broke- before he agreed to step off the rack. Because eventually, he would break, and then the Apocalypse would begin and the odds (which were admittedly steep odds to begin with) would be stacked even further in Hell's favor.

When Ezekiel suggested the angels lay siege to Hell, there was an uproar in Heaven.

"We're not ready!" Zachariah cried.

No angel had been to Hell since Lucifer, save for a few brave agents in their Intelligence division. Anna's garrison had only just begun practicing maneuvers. They needed time, they needed training- some might even need memory therapy. To even mount an immediate attack on Hell would mean committing a far greater number of soldiers to the mission. It would mean the death of a far greater number of angels, the death of a far greater number of fighters, the death of a far greater number of siblings.

And, even if the rescue of John Winchester was successful, the garrisons would still need to return to Hell to rescue Dean. They would begin the Apocalypse with staggering losses, and their general would be stepping onto the board without the forces he was promised.

When John Winchester went to Hell, they held a meeting in Heaven. No one came to a decision that day, or the day after that. Michael heard the arguments, he consulted with his generals. He decided that Dean Winchester would be the vessel he would use to vanquish the Devil. It had been written that way over two millennia ago, and that was how the story would come to pass. Azazel could not change destiny with one measly deal with one measly mortal- no matter what bloodline the mortal belonged to. The angels were not required to act until Dean Winchester shed blood in Hell, because it was Dean Winchester who would begin the Apocalypse, and it was Dean Winchester who would end it. Their Father had told them exactly how the mortal world would end. The death of John Winchester was a smokescreen, a distraction. Michael would not be swayed by such parlor tricks. He had faith.

When John Winchester went to Hell, they held a meeting in Heaven. The angels decided to do nothing. Some were reticent about the decision, but Michael was their general and he had given an order.

And so, the angels spoke to their spies in Hell, to the few demons they had been able to bribe, to the reapers who visited, and they waited. They waited for days, for weeks, for months. They waited a full Earth Year.

When Sam Winchester arrived in Cold Oak there was anticipation in Heaven. When Sam died and Dean made a deal to save his life there was a celebration. Because not only was Dean one step closer to breaking the first seal, but he wasn't even given the standard contract. He only had one more year of his mortal life. The researchers had always believed that Hell would want to give the full ten, would try to use that time to get Sam better at his demonic powers. But now, the seals would begin to break in a little over twelve human months. This was better then the angels could have dreamed.

When Jake Talley opened the Hell gate, there was concern in Heaven. Of course, this had been foretold as well. Hell was destined to find a way to swell the numbers of its armies stationed on Earth before the Apocalypse, but with each damned soul that escaped the Inferno, the statisticians warned that the casualties of the war would be higher.

But one soul that escaped was not damned.

When John Winchester stepped through the gate and wrestled Azazel away from his son, there was relief in Heaven. Because John Winchester's soul was on Earth. He would never have to return to Perdition. He could be ferried to eternal rest. And now, after all the waiting and arguing and hand-wringing, the path was clear for Michael's rightful vessel to break the first seal. The Apocalypse was back on track.

John Winchester was a righteous man, but John Winchester did not start the Holy War. In the 120 years that he had spent in the pit, he remained on the rack. John Winchester did not begin the Apocalypse, because John Winchester never shed a drop of blood in Hell.

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 **A/N: I suppose I post these things because I have to believe I'm not the only one who wants to read over 1,000 words about why John Winchester wasn't the man who started the Apocalypse.**

 **Please read and review!**


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